Swansea research shows that attractive icons enhance user performance

Swansea researchers have cast light on the role that aesthetics can play in task performance.

Irene Reppa and Sine McDougall, a former Head of Department, have published a paper on the beneficial effects of attractive design on performance. Under duress, such as when the task to be done is difficult, dealing with visually attractive media improves performance. This directly influences the efficiency of our interactions with interfaces, such as websites or mobile phones. The paper, titled " When the going gets tough, the beautiful get going" is published in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review and has been discussed as featured content in the Psychonomic Society website and has been picked up by a number of media outlets worldwid (e.g., Science Daily and India Times).